Ptolemy, pipes and shepherds
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1
Universidad de Salamanca
info
Editorial: Thessaloniki ; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, International Musicological Society
ISBN: 978-960-99845-3-9
Año de publicación: 2013
Páginas: 357-373
Congreso: International Musicological Conference, Proceedings, June 6-10, 2011.
Tipo: Aportación congreso
Resumen
The diatonon homalon is one of Ptolemy’s tetrachordal divisions. Due to its mathematical properties and to the special treatment it deserves in Ptolemy’s treatise, it has looked to many cholars just like an arithmetic speculation of the author. I thas been related ,by others,to some older descriptions of actual musical tunings, to be found, for example,in the writtings of Aristoxenus.But Ptolemy himself makes remarks about it that may show he actually Heard it inexistent musical practice. In this paper we Will discuss all previous theories about theorig in of Ptolemy’s diatonon homalon,and we Will present an ewhypothesis that would connect it with real musical praxis. As we Will show,this tuning system could be related to tuning schemas used nowadays in Iberian traditional three-hole pipes. This connection can help us to better understand there alplace of the diatonon homalon in Ptolemy’s treatise and in the music of his time.